Over E-mail Transom: CALTRANS Nixes Public Display of American Flag

Russ Steele

A regular read of this blog send this by e-mail. CALTRANS has decided that displaying the American flag might upset someone. Who might that be?

In the town of Orcutt, California, thousands of dollars in donations have been gathered to create a monument to fallen soldiers and the branches of our military.  The memorial would go between "a highway exit and a park-and-ride lot;" a pole would rise out of the center and display the American flag.

The California Department of Transportation was okay with the plan... that is, until it was revealed that our nation's flag would be flying.  When CalTrans heard, they stymied the effort, declaring the display of an American flag an "impermissible act of “public expression.”"

The panel that ruled that the American flag could not be displayed demanded "viewpoint neutrality" at the monument.  In other words, they declared it illegal to solely fly the US flag, stating that other flags must also have the right to be flown at the memorial, be it "the British flag, the Nazi flag, or the Jolly Rogers."

Apparently not allowed in California!

In response to concerns, CalTrans wrote:
To answer your question regarding the court’s decision in Brown v. California Department of Transportation pertaining to flying the American Flag in the State right of way, it was established that, “The display of the United States flag constituted expressive activity, within the meaning of the First Amendment.”

You can read the rest here.

Exit Question: What other flag would CALTRANS like to fly over a memorial to fallen US soldiers?